Preop Eval vs EFM Guide
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Preop Eval
This app provides guidance for evaluating and preparing adult patients for non-cardiac surgery. It includes algorithms and resources on medication management, cardiac event timing, and preoperative testing, serving as both a reference and a teaching tool for medical professionals.
- Cardiac evaluation algorithm
- Medication guidance (starting/stopping)
- Surgery timing after cardiac events
- Preoperative testing recommendations
- Review for students and residents
- Perioperative insulin management
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Preop Eval organizes and presents much of the guidance that one needs in order to evaluate and prepare adult patients for non-cardiac surgery. It is based upon the guidelines on this topic from the American College of Cardiology, the European Society of Anaesthesiology, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement, the American College of Chest Physicians, and more (full references in the app). The app contains 1 algorithm and 3 resources: the cardiac evaluation algorithm, guidance on starting and stopping key medications in the perioperative period, guidance on timing of surgery after cardiac events, and guidance on preoperative testing. It also contains a review of preoperative evaluation mainly for students and residents. The app addresses such common questions as: - who needs bloodwork before surgery? - who needs an EKG or a CXR? - how do I handle patients on warfarin, clopidogrel, and DOAC's? - which patients need adjustment of perioperative insulin and diabetic meds, and how? - which active cardiac conditions preclude surgery? - how long after MI or stent should a patient wait before surgery? - are there adjustments to make on psych meds, rheumatologic meds, ACE's and ARB's? This app is written and intended for practicing physicians like internists, family physicians, and hospitalists; for resident physician trainees; and for medical students. In addition to being a reference, the algorithm is written to be a teaching tool by not just delivering an answer, but instead walking a physician through the evaluation process so that one learns that process along the way. As an educator and clinician, I am interested in feedback and I would be grateful for guidance on improving the tool.
EFM Guide
A quick reference for medical trainees on electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) guidelines. It defines EFM findings, explains tracings with pictures, and outlines management recommendations. Designed for physicians, nurses, and midwives in training.
- EFM approach and nomenclature
- Management recommendations
- Definitions of EFM findings
- Explanation of tracings with pictures
- Systematic EFM evaluation review
- Quick reference for trainees
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EFM Guide is a non-commercial quick-reference app for medical trainees (not the lay public). It puts at your fingertips the approach, nomenclature, and management recommendations from the guidelines on electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) from 2008, 2009, and 2010. Each EFM finding and tracing is defined and explained with pictures. Management responses for findings and category interpretations are presented. And the systematic approach to EFM evaluation is reviewed. This app is written and intended for resident & student physician trainees, for nursing and midwifery trainees, and for practicing clinicians. It answers questions such as the following: - what is moderate baseline fetal heart rate variability? - what are the differences between an early, variable, and late deceleration? - what qualifies as tachysystole? and how can I manage tachysystole? - if my patient is 31 weeks gestation, what counts as an acceleration? - what qualifies as category I, II, and III tracings, and what does each suggest clinically? - what are the elements of systematic EFM tracing evaluation? - how may I respond to a category II tracing? - what does sinusoidal pattern look like? This guide tries to faithfully present the NICHD material for quick effective reference and review, it does not present the judgment of the app's authors. As educators and clinicians, we are interested in feedback and we would be grateful for guidance on improving the tool.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Preop Eval at 5.0 against EFM Guide's 4.5. Preop Eval also leads on update cadence (every 6 months vs every 25 months) and review sentiment (67% vs 50%). EFM Guide's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.6). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Preop Eval holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Preop Eval's written reviews are positive against 50% of EFM Guide's.
Preop Eval ships an update every 6 months, EFM Guide every 25 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Preop Eval | EFM Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | 4.5 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months — better | Every 25 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | United Health Services, Inc. | Joshua D. steinberg |
Customer experience
Preop Eval
EFM Guide
In-app purchases
Preop Eval
No in-app purchases
EFM Guide
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Preop Eval free?
Is EFM Guide free?
Which has better reviews, Preop Eval or EFM Guide?
Do Preop Eval or EFM Guide have ads?
Which is updated more often, Preop Eval or EFM Guide?
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